Temple University student chased, assaulted at Morgan Hall after refusing to sell his sneakers, police say

A Temple University student was chased into the lobby of Morgan Hall South by a group of minors and assaulted after he refused to sell them his sneakers, Philadelphia police said.

The assault happened on April 19 on the North Philadelphia campus.

In an update on April 27, Philadelphia police said the group approached the victim just before 3 a.m. and asked how much his sneakers cost. The group reportedly offered to buy the shoes, and when the victim refused and started to walk away, they began punching him, police said.

When the 20-year-old made it inside Morgan Hall, the group continued to attack him, according to Temple University Police. The student suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment. Temple said the Division of Student Affairs is supporting the student at this time.

Temple University Police is working with the Philadelphia Police Department and the School District of Philadelphia to identify those involved in the assault. Investigators released new photos Monday of a group of people they believe are connected to the incident.

Philadelphia police said Monday that nothing was taken from the victim.

"Nobody likes to see anybody get assaulted or victimized in our community," Gaetano Sava, the deputy chief of Temple University Public Safety, said. "We take it very seriously."

"We're still trying to trace back the movements," he added. "But we don't believe they were hanging on the property. The belief is they came off of campus and followed him into the dorm lobby."

Students who live in the dorm said they were surprised something like this would happen. 

"Morgan, it's a good community the kids have," Danny Dokov, a freshman, said. "So it's shocking to see that at moments that it can be unsafe, and it's a bit scary to see things like that can happen."

Police said in the wake of the incident, they'll be increasing patrols in the area and monitoring of surveillance cameras. But overall, students said they still feel safe on campus. 

"I feel safe, yes," Amanda Martin, a freshman, said. "I've never felt unsafe."

Temple is urging students to use the university's walking escort program and the Flight shuttle service and to report any suspicious behavior to police. 

Anyone with information about the assault at Morgan Hall is asked to contact police.